A trio of curly questions from you for WPGA Tour of Australasia chief executive Karen Lunn.
There is an argument that our women not only equal but perhaps even outperform the men on the world’s biggest tours, particularly in recent years. What’s the secret? – S. Richards, Cronulla, NSW
Australia has a long history of players competing on the biggest stage that has helped inspire and develop the next generation of players. The most obvious example is Karrie Webb, who has not only been a role model, but has actively played a part in the current crop of players winning tournaments and contending at major championships through her scholarship program. In addition to the likes of Karrie sharing her experiences and wisdom, our players are clearly benefitting from the development programs in place across the country.
We know the Aussie women competing overseas are a tight-knit bunch, they offer great support to each other and, in my opinion, are feeding of each other’s success. It’s almost like, If they can do it, I can do it too! Hannah Green and Minjee Lee grew up not only as friends, but competitors, which I am sure drove them to get better. The same is true of Steph Kyriacou and Grace Kim, and numerous others.
I also think the confidence and experience our players gain playing on the WPGA Tour, firstly as amateurs and then when they turn pro, helps. Having the opportunity to compete against some of the best players in the world means that when they arrive on the LPGA and the LET, they are much more comfortable in that environment.
Often we will throw young players in the ‘deep end’, if you like, pairing them with some of the leading players at our major events. While it may be daunting for them at the time, I am sure they will admit that these experiences have not only taught them how the best players go about their business, but it has also helped them feel more comfortable when they play their way into the leading groups on the major tours.
As a tour, one of our focuses is to create opportunities for the next generation to learn to compete, so playing in our bigger events and playing alongside the men in the Webex Players Series events exposes them to so many chances to learn.
Now that the Women’s Australian Open is locked in for Adelaide as a standalone event next year, what can we expect in terms of an international field? – M. Davidson, Adelaide, SA
It was a great thrill to be a part of the announcement of the 2026 Australian Open in Adelaide, where the event has a home for the next three years thanks to the partnership with the South Australian Government.
Work has already commenced on the field, with player feedback on returning to Adelaide and the time of year very positive, and as always, the primary focus will be on having our top Australians return home to hopefully lift the trophy.
The Australian Open will be co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET), which will bring great diversity in terms of international players to the tournament, as has been the case for events in New South Wales in recent years and for the 2025 Australian WPGA Championship before Cyclone Alfred intervened.
With a national Open part of an Australian swing of events, I am certain we will have plenty of interest from the best players on the LET – particularly in a Solheim Cup year. We know how much visiting players have enjoyed playing the tournament in the past and conversations with players and their managers over the coming months will continue to ensure the best possible field.
The tournament will also fall during a time of year when the LPGA Tour takes a short break after its Asian Swing, making it a less significant journey to Australia for other players.
How has Australia performed at club level when it comes to growing the game for women? Any areas we still need to improve in? – T. Matthews, Spring Valley, VIC
The role of the WPGA Tour of Australasia, and my job as the CEO, focuses on professional golf, but the increased collaboration in recent years with the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia is allowing us to play a role in this area.
One area I believe Australia is leading and continuing to focus on getting better is attracting junior girls to the sport. I am very passionate about the work of the Australian Golf Foundation Junior Girls Scholarship Program, which does great work in welcoming girls to golf and their local club and saw more than 22 percent growth in scholarship holders last year. Testament to that mission was our first member of the WPGA Tour of Australasia from that program this year in Maddison Kelly, who competed in our early-season events this year.
This initiative will not only result in many more talented young Australian women playing our sport – many who will have an ambition to compete on the WPGA Tour in future years – we are also confident that it will translate to more female PGA members and more women who have a passion for golf seeking employment in the golf industry.
The R&A Women in Golf Charter is another initiative that Australian golf clubs have embraced, and the more than 150 signatories, including the Federal Government and more recently Queensland Government, is a heartening development as we seek to make the sport more welcoming and less intimidating for women.
There will forever be more we can do in this space, and recently it has been my pleasure to play a role in the development and launch of the “Connecting Women in Golf” initiative that is specifically focused on women in the golf industry, which is another key area for improvement not just in Australia but globally.
The positive news is the number of women engaged in playing golf in all its forms is growing, including a 3.2 percent rise in membership annually, while more than 86 percent of Golf Australia’s Get Into Golf participants are female. Everyone connected with Australian golf is dedicated to seeing that growth continue.
Anything you want to ask the boss of the WPGA Tour of Australasia? E-mail your question(s) to [email protected]
Photographs by Sue Mckay, Sam Hodde/Getty Images
